'CENTER' OF ATTENTION FOR RAIL TRANSIT

The centralized rail control facility, or control center, has had to make significant changes in order to keep up with technological advances, heightened security requirements and larger and more sophisticated transportation infrastructures. The control center regulates and monitors all rail line activity, including train location, forecasting potential problems and delays, monitoring train performance and tracking on-time performance. Data, voice and video communication have made these tasks easier. Maintenance is another area that has benefited greatly from technological advances. Maintenance crew can be dispatched much more quickly now than in times past. Furthermore, the advent of surveillance technologies such as closed-circuit television has taken security levels to a new height.